Role: Technical Manager

Location: Clitheroe, BB7 1QL

Join Hain Celestial and Help Shape Quality Across Our Hot Eat Desserts Business.

At Hain Celestial UK, we're proud to create much-loved food brands enjoyed by consumers across the country, including Hartley's, Linda McCartney's, Ella's Kitchen, Robertson's, Yorkshire Provender, Cully & Sully, New Covent Garden Soup Co., and more.

We are looking for an experienced Technical Manager to join our team at Farmhouse Fare in Clitheroe, home to our popular Hot Eat Desserts range. This is a key leadership role responsible for driving food safety, quality, hygiene and customer excellence across the site.

Working closely with the Site Director and Head of Technical, you will lead the site's Technical, Quality and Hygiene functions, ensuring the highest standards of food safety, quality, compliance and customer satisfaction. As the senior technical leader on site, you will build and maintain strong relationships with customers, auditors, suppliers and regulatory bodies, acting as a trusted partner while driving continuous improvement across our Hot Eat Desserts manufacturing operation.

This role would suit an ambitious Technical Manager or Senior Quality professional who thrives in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment and enjoys balancing strategic leadership with a hands-on approach.

What You'll Be Doing

Food Safety & Quality Leadership

• Lead the site's Food Safety and HACCP programmes.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant food legislation and customer requirements.
• Maintain and continuously improve the site's Quality Management System.
• Drive compliance against BRCGS Food Safety Standards.
• Oversee allergen management and risk assessment processes.
• Ensure products consistently meet customer, legal and internal quality standards.

Hygiene & Factory Standards

• Lead and develop the site's Hygiene team.
• Drive continuous improvements in hygiene performance and factory standards.
• Manage cleaning systems, schedules, chemical controls and hygiene budgets.
• Monitor hygiene performance through audits, environmental monitoring and swabbing programmes.
• Ensure a food-safe manufacturing environment at all times.

Customer & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary Technical contact for customers, auditors and regulatory bodies.
• Build strong relationships with key customer technical teams.
• Support customer visits, audits, technical reviews and product tastings.
• Ensure customer expectations are met and exceeded.

Audit & Compliance

• Lead customer, third-party and regulatory audits.
• Manage internal audit programmes and corrective action plans.
• Ensure site readiness for audits at all times.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop the Technical, QA and Hygiene teams.
• Drive performance, engagement and continuous improvement.
• Support recruitment, training, succession planning and talent development.

Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Operations, NPD and Supply Chain teams to deliver site improvement projects.
• Drive improvements in quality, hygiene, efficiency and compliance.
• Support product improvement and innovation initiatives.

What We're Looking For

Essential

• Significant experience within a Technical, Quality or Food Safety leadership role in food manufacturing.
• Strong customer-facing technical experience.
• Proven experience leading customer audits and technical relationships.
• Excellent understanding of HACCP, Food Safety and Quality Management Systems.
• Experience managing hygiene standards and hygiene teams.
• Strong knowledge of BRCGS Food Safety Standards.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the business.
• Strong leadership, communication and team development skills.

Desirable

• Degree in Food Science or a related discipline.
• Experience within chilled, dessert or high-care food manufacturing environments.
• Lead Auditor qualification.
• Internal auditing experience.
• Knowledge of systems such as Hamilton Grant, Qadex or similar technical platforms.

Why Join Hain Celestial?

At Hain Celestial, we are passionate about creating healthier food choices through some of the UK's most recognisable brands. You'll join a collaborative business where quality and innovation sit at the heart of everything we do.

In return, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Lead an experienced Technical and Hygiene function.
• Work with leading retail and foodservice customers.
• Drive site standards and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop your career within a growing international food business.
• Make a real impact within a well-established and successful manufacturing site.

What can We Offer?

• Competitive salary / rate of pay
• 25 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holiday
• Option to purchase additional annual leave
• A day off work to support our charity partners
• Flexible working options
• Pension
• Medical benefit
• And access to a HUB that offers many discounts from a range of suppliers and retailers

Location

This role is site-based and will involve occasional travel to customers, suppliers and other Hain Celestial locations. Overnight stays may occasionally be required.

Ready to take ownership of Technical excellence within our Hot Eat Desserts business? We'd love to hear from you. Apply today and join Hain Celestial UK.